The Rebel Flesh (TV story)
The Rebel Flesh 'is the fifth episode of the sixth series of ''Doctor Who. It was written by Matthew Graham, directed by Julian Simpson and featured Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams. Overview To be added Synopsis The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in a future Earth where a small group of humans operate a factory extracting highly dangerous chemicals. To minimize the danger to themselves, they create clones made of a plastic-like substance, 'gangers' (short for doppelganger) who do the actual work. While forming their clones however, the Earth is struck by massive solar flare activity that transfer the humans' emotions and memories in addition to their technical abilities. As they all try to deal with what has happened, the gangers are clearly no longer prepared to accept the limited status they previously had and insist on being treated as sentient beings in their own right. As it turns out, others have been affected as well. Plot St. John's Monastery, 22nd Century - three acid miners, Jennifer Lucas, Buzzer and Jimmy Wicks head to a small chamber containing a circular vat of acid. While they take readings from the content, Jennifer accidentally pushes Buzzer into the vat and his body starts to dissolve. Jimmy and Jennifer are very nonchalant about the incident and leave when Buzzer appears, complaining about being killed while Jimmy just moans about the cost of the acid suit. Buzzer insists that nobody was really hurt as his face dissolves screaming in the acid vat. Meanwhile, the Doctor keeps his eye on Amy's full-body scan on the scanner, which still has fluctuating readings on the pregnancy status. He tries to send them away while he works on something but hasn't got time to explain when the TARDIS is caught up in a violent solar tsunami that sends them plummeting towards the monastery as they crash outside. They step out to investigate, initially suspecting it to be the 13th century and find pipes pumping acid off the island; an intruder alarm goes off and they are pursued into a chamber of mechanical harnesses with copies of the people that surround them inside. They are met by Miranda Cleaves and interrogated but quickly determined to be harmless and the Doctor demands to see a specific of their critical systems, confusing Amy and Rory. Cleaves and her people escort him to the chapel, containing a vat of Flesh, a replicating substance capable of taking the form of and perfectly mimicking a living being with their biological imprint plumbed into them. While Cleaves sends Jennifer to the chamber to set up her Ganger, the Doctor scans and touches the Flesh and determines it's a living matter all of it's own. The foreshocks of the solar tsunami from the sun hits the factory but, despite the Doctor's warnings, Cleaves isn't concerned and they watch as Jennifer's ganger forms in the vat after she plugs herself into the harness. Even Cleaves team try to suggest that they take evasive action, but she defiantly refuses to listen to their warnings. The solar tsunami comes over the factory and the Doctor hurries to the weather vane that feeds the factory with solar power to disconnect it before the solar storm cripples all the systems in the factory. However, he is too late to disable as the throwback launches him from the tower and knocks him and everybody else in the factory unconscious, sending an incredible power surge through the harness chamber. When the Doctor comes, he finds Cleaves roaming by herself, having gotten clear of the harness as the storm hit; they return to the chamber to find everybody okay and Cleaves informs everybody that the storm caused acid leaks all over the factory when Jimmy's ''Dusty Springfield'' record starts playing. They look to find all their possessions having been searched by the now-animated Gangers trying to find confirmation of their identities now that they are individuals with lives given to them by the operators. Jennifer wanders off and Rory goes to look after her. In the washroom, Jennifer coughs up a dollop of pure flesh and retreats into the stall when she suddenly becomes elasticated and punches Rory, who runs off in fear. In the dining hall, the Doctor hands Cleaves a heated meal which she initially doesn't feel, confirming the Doctor's deductions that she was the real Cleaves' Ganger as she runs off, screaming. Elsewhere, Rory looks for his way back to the others while the Doctor, Amy and Jimmy look for him and find their ways blocked by acid leaks. Ganger Jennifer looks around the factory for Rory while he hides. In the washroom, Jimmy asks the Doctor what he really knows about the Flesh while he decides to try and talk to the Gangers; he sends Amy and Jimmy back to the dining hall while he goes back to the TARDIS. Buzzer and Dicken go to look for the acids suits to protect themselves from acid leaks only to find the Gangers had already got to them. In the factory gym, Rory finds Ganger Jennifer sat alone, protesting that she is who she is and he comforts her. The Doctor wanders through the Flesh chamber and scans the vat again before continuing when a pair of lips form in the flesh saying 'Trust me'. Outside, he finds the TARDIS submerged up to it's signage in acid before he notices his shoes melting in the pool he's standing in. The Gangers convene in the acid room where the Doctor finds them and brings them to the dining hall to talk to their human counterparts. While they talk, the human Cleaves digs out a circuit probe from a locker and confronts the negotiating group with it, declaring that the Gangers are mistakes that need rectifying; Ganger Buzzer tries to take it from her but she shoots him dead and the other Gangers, no longer trusting the humans, run away and the Doctor berates Cleaves for starting a war between them. In the acid chamber, the Ganger's reach the same conclusion that the only way to survive is to destroy their former operators. As the humans prepare for the attack, the Doctor brings them all to the monastery to defend themselves; upon arriving, Rory runs off to look for the human Jennifer and the other Gangers pursue him as the others barricade themselves in. The real Jennifer wanders around and gets scared off by somebody in the chapel before getting attacked by her Ganger. As the other Gangers break their way into the chapel, a voice rings out from the shadows that draws everybody's attention as they try and hold them out. From out of the shadows emerges another Ganger - the Doctor... Cast * The Doctor - Matt Smith * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan * Rory - Arthur Darvill * Jimmy - Mark Bonnar * Buzzer - Marshall Lancaster * Jennifer - Sarah Smart * Cleaves - Raquel Cassidy * Dicken - Leon Vickers * Eye patch lady - Frances Barber Crew To be added References To be added Story Notes To be added Continuity To be added Home video and audio releases To be added External Links * Official ''The Rebel Flesh'' page on '''Doctor Who Website